1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cradling apparatus for a portable communication device, and more particularly to a cradling device for setting a cradle angle selected from a plurality of angles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, portable communication devices refer to devices by which radio communication can be performed, while the devices are being carried. The portable communication devices include a hand-held phone (HHP), a cordless telephone (CT-)2 cellular phone, a digital phone, a personal communications systems (PCS) phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA) and are sorted into different types according to their shapes. For example, the communication devices are classified into bar-type communication devices, flip-type communication devices, folder-type communication devices, slide-type communication devices, and swing-type communication devices. The bar-type terminal has a single housing shaped like a bar. The above-mentioned portable communication devices are generally provided with an antenna unit, data input/output units, and data transmitting/receiving units. The data input unit usually includes a keypad with which data is input by means of depressing buttons.
However, the conventional portable communication devices have some drawbacks. That is, a separate cradling apparatus is used for retaining the device to provide the user with a convenient means of viewing of information displayed on a display device. However, the addition of a separate cradling apparatus may be uneconomical for a user. As is well known, when the information displayed on the display device faces the user at a slant, the user can conveniently view the displayed information. Conventionally, the user, without the separate cradling apparatus, may view a screen displayed on the display device by slanting the communication device gripped with the hand. However, the user inevitably experiences discomfort in viewing the screen displayed on the display device because of the absence of the separate cradling apparatus on the desk or the like.
To solve the foregoing problems, Korean Patent Registration No. 678215 (U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,872) discloses in detail a portable terminal and a sliding cradling apparatus thereof.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a sliding cradling apparatus 10 for a portable terminal includes a first housing 20 having a plurality of keys 21, a second housing 30 which has a display device 31, slides on the first housing 20, and is cradled with a slant on the first housing 20 after sliding, a first member 50 provided in the first housing 20, a second member 60 engaged with the second housing 30, a sliding guide portion 70 provided between the first member 50 and the second ember 60 to guide the sliding of the second housing 30, and a hinge means 80 provided in the first member 50 and the sliding guide portion 70 to rotate the second member 60 and the sliding guide portion 70 around a hinge axis A1 in a direction away from the first member 50 while facing the first member 50.
However, since the conventional sliding cradling apparatus described in the aforementioned patent application cradles the second housing at a slant angle after sliding the second housing away from the first housing to expose the keys of the first housing, the cradling angle of the second housing cannot be set at different angles.
To cradle the second housing at different angles and provide a sense of a click engagement, additional parts and installation spaces thereof are required. These addition parts increase the size of a product, and also, the manufacturing cost of the product and the number of assembly processes.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cradling apparatus, providing cradling at various angles and a sense of click response or engagement, while downsizing the conventional cradling apparatus through simplification of the structure thereof and reducing manufacturing cost and the number of assembly processes.